Titi monkey born at Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — One of the youngest additions to a central Illinois zoo is a titi monkey born about three weeks ago.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports the white-eared primate is the first offspring of two monkeys named Wally and Maniqui. Titi monkeys’ natural habitat is around Brazil’s Amazon River basin where they rarely come out of the trees.

The curator for the Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield, Jeff Mitchell, says newborn monkeys face lots of risks in their first weeks of life but that the new titi monkey has passed many “critical milestones.”

One thing that won’t be known for some time is whether it’s male or female. Zoo staff can’t determine its gender until after it starts exploring on its own.